The sad story of Adam Salter

In 2009, Sydney radio shock jocks were keen to accept the police version of events surrounding the shooting of Adam Salter. Now it's been revealed they were wrong, but they won't apologise.

But now to something a bit more serious.

Back in November 2009 a 36-year old web designer Adam Salter was shot by police in the kitchen of his suburban Sydney home

He died in hospital soon afterwards from the gunshot wound.

Salter was gentle and kind according to friends, and at the time he was mentally ill.

Paramedics were already at the house treating him for self-inflicted wounds

Stuart Wilkins: We believe he has grabbed a knife from the kitchen and confronted police. During that confrontation that male has been shot once by police.

Our sympathies go to the family of the deceased.

— ABC1, News, 18th November, 2009

The fatal shooting was widely reported, and the media accepted the police version of events.

That afternoon, Jason Morrison, then on 2GB, was quick to pre-empt any critics of the shooting

Jason Morrison: There’s a mindset that just dislikes police, so you have got to mix that into everything you hear today. But I’ll tell you what, I’ve got a pretty good idea what happened inside there. I’ve worked the phones, contacts inside policing, inside other emergency agencies that were at the scene. And I’ve got a pretty good idea. And I think you will find that when I try to explain to you what happened that, put yourself in such a situation, you might too have pulled the gun and used lethal force.

— Radio 2GB, Drive with Jason Morrison, 18th November, 2009

Morrison also claimed the officer with the gun, Sgt Sherree Bissett, who shouted “Taser, Taser, Taser” before taking the shot, should be given the benefit of the doubt.

She was senior, respected, well-regarded, he said, “someone who really knows what she’s doing”, and she’d been on the beat for 21 years.

Jason Morrison: ... A police officer of some 21 years doesn’t panic in situations like this.

— Radio 2GB, Drive with Jason Morrison, 18th November, 2009

The next day on the same station, Ray Hadley went further, telling NSW police commissioner Andrew Scipione

Ray Hadley: ... I won’t pre-empt the inquiries that are going on, but we’ve got a small kitchen as I understand it in a suburban Sydney home at Lakemba, a small house. I counted it up, we’ve got 7 or 8 people there – we’ve got 2 ambos, we’ve got 4 of your officers, we’ve got the victim, and we’ve got the victim’s father all in this small area and it’s portrayed to me today by officers that he’s lunging a knife at one of those 6 or 7 people. I mean I’m buggered if I know, Commissioner, what your officers are supposed to do? I mean the civil libertarians are saying ‘get the taser out’. I mean, you’ve got a fraction of a second and there’s a knife at your throat. What do you do?

— Radio 2GB, The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 19th November, 2009

But two years later, the Coronial Inquest revealed a very different story

Three paramedics at the scene all denied that Salter had lunged at police or confronted them.

They also contradicted Sgt Bissett’s claim that she had shot Salter to prevent him stabbing her colleague.

Quentin McDermott: In your view, did the police deliberately lie? Did they simply invent a scenario that they knew was untrue?

Stephen Rushton: I believe so.

— ABC1, Four Corners, 5th March, 2012

After Four Corners went to air there was again nothing from Morrison or Hadley.

So ABC Radio National’s James Carleton sent Hadley an email reminding him what he had said at the time of the shooting and asking:

Ray Hadley: Does Ray have any comment to make about the program, or the coroner’s report which effectively contradicted Ray’s on air claims?

— Radio 2GB, The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 14th March, 2012

Hadley read the email out on air and, when he got to the end, said this:

Ray Hadley: I’d say one thing to you James: go away.

— Radio 2GB, The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 14th March, 2012

Three weeks ago, the NSW Police Integrity Commission finally reported on the Salter case and found police had lied. It also recommended criminal charges against Sgt Bissett and the three other police officers at the scene.

Ray Hadley: A story was published in my absence by Janet Fife-Yeomans on the 22nd – no 27th of June. A police sergeant who shot dead a mentally ill man should be prosecuted for lying to the PIC – the Police Integrity Commission – about the incident, Janet wrote.

— Radio 2GB, The Ray Hadley Morning Show, 12th July, 2013

No apology to the Salter family. No reference to his previous error. And nothing at all from Morrison.

So what does Adam Salter’s father feel about that?

I feel very strongly that they should retract what they’ve said, admit their mistake ... I do feel that Adam was slandered and defamed and that the PIC has cleared his name, and the media outlets should do the same.

YOUR COMMENTS

Comments (9)

By the Pricking of my Thumbs :

NGHogg :

16 Jul 2013 9:26:24pm

As a long time viewer of Media Watch I've become increasing frustrated with the amount of time on NSW radio broadcasters. I am a South Australian, I do not hear and barely know who the broadcasters are. And yet Media Watch has spent a staggering amount of time on them, especially 2UE. Also I think this is a problem for other outlets as well. National news outlets will often report NSW & QLD politics as of national importance, but other states are rarely given the same prominence. Sadly, I wish I could give examples to prove my point. Maybe you could investigate. Thanks for another great show.

are we there yet :

16 Jul 2013 1:12:25pm

Police face a pretty tough job. They have to confront a lot unpredictable people. At point blank range, if a police officer canâ€™t shoot someone in the leg they should not be in control (or should I say, out of control) of a firearm.

Jiminy :

16 Jul 2013 1:10:34pm

Seriously though, aren't they just shock jocks. They only work on things that can stir up an audience. Retractions would only bore their audience and they don't want to look like they take backward steps in their listeners eyes.So lets not expect them to be impartial purveyors of news. Its just ratings and their own careers they give a crap about. And are most of us any different ? No.

tim :

16 Jul 2013 1:02:04pm

Both Hadley and Morrison should apologise. However, we the public should stop listening to these so called media personalities (Jones included) and fuelling their over-inflated egos and holier than thou attitude to others.

Matthew Saggers :

16 Jul 2013 12:36:30pm

Once again radio shock jocks say things that are completely without basis or fact, and when presented with them simply brush it off as if its a nuisance to their day.I imagine the family of poor Mr Salter feel highly aggrieved at what these grubbed reported about their freshly deceased son and added further salt to the wound.No one can pull them into line>? When will the companies that happily accept the advertising revenue for these jerks actually take responsibility for their actions and sack them?How many times do we need to see this go on before there are rules put in place to protect the public?